With the European soccer season now concluded, all eyes are turning toward the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Set to take place in the United States from June 13 to July 14, the tournament has undergone a major revamp ahead of its 21st edition. This time around, there are more teams—32 compared to the usual seven—which means more matches and, of course, a lot more money.
FIFA has raised the prize pool to a staggering $1 billion, an incentive that, unlike in previous editions, is likely to push clubs to field their strongest squads in pursuit of the title.
With the best of the best from around the world—including Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and newly crowned Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain—set to compete, we’ve picked 10 players you should be keeping an eye on in the U.S. this summer.
1. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid may not have had the season they were hoping for, losing out to rivals FC Barcelona in the La Liga title race, as well as falling short in both the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup finals.
Kylian Mbappé, however, enjoyed an outstanding personal debut season at the Santiago Bernabéu, finishing the campaign with 42 goals in all competitions. Not only was that enough to break Iván Zamorano's long-standing record for the most goals in a debut season for Madrid, but it also earned him his first-ever European Golden Boot.
